HAMMOND, La. -- Vince Dell'Aquilla has coached two NFL players during his career at Solano College and now Diablo Valley College where he is about to enter his second season as the Vikings' line coach. He sees no reason why former Kelseyville High School star Ryan Cockerton couldn't be the third man to make that list.

Cockerton, a 2010 Kelsey-ville graduate who starred during the 2011 and 2012 seasons for Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill where he made 20 consecutive starts at center, has signed a letter of intent to play for Southeastern Louisiana University on a full-ride scholarship.

"I expect him to keep getting better," said Dell'Aquilla of the 6-foot-3, 290-pound center, named to the All Mid-Empire Conference team as an offensive lineman and voted Diablo Valley's most valuable lineman in 2012.

"He has all the intangibles and is extremely coachable," Dell'Aquilla said. "He has the size, the agility they're looking for (in the NFL). It's just a matter of if he gets the right opportunity."

Both Dell'Aquilla and Thad Owens, Cockerton's coach at Kelseyville, agree that he is one of the smartest players they've ever coached on the football field.

"Right off the bat I realized he was a smart kid capable of understanding the offense, not only his job, but also what everyone else was doing," Dell'Aquilla said. "I saw that right away. I worked with him on his technique, brought a few different things to him. He was receptive to what I was saying and I had never coached him before."

"He was always a big, strong kid," Owens said. "He was our smartest guy out there, a 4.0 student. He just needed to grow into his body a little bit. He just needed a little more time."

An All-North Central League I lineman for the Knights, Cockerton was named small school Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2010 by the Press Democrat.

During his two years at Diablo Valley College, Cockerton maintained a 3.74 GPA. He will pursue a degree in criminal justice at Southeastern Louisiana University.

While Cockerton, the son of Matt and Lisa Cockerton of Lakeport, caught the eye of several four-year schools, including the University of Kentucky and Sacramento State, he picked the Lions instead.

"Sacramento State was recruiting two other centers and I was the only guy they (the Lions) were interested in," Cockerton said of his decision to pick Southeastern Louisiana University. "I was most familiar with their coaching staff. They really seem to care about their players."

During his two seasons at Diablo Valley, Cockerton played with the brother of a former DVC center who had ties to Southeastern Louisiana University, so he wasn't a total stranger to the school, which competes in Division I-FSC in football, formerly known as Division I-AA.

The location of the university, Hammond, is about 45 minutes from New Orleans. Cockerton and his roommate, Jacob Newman, who is from the College of the Sequoias (Visalia), were rooting for the 49ers during Super Bowl XLVII on Feb. 3 although a majority of their Southeastern Louisiana teammates were pulling for the Baltimore Ravens, 34-31 winners over San Francisco.

"We were outnumbered but we were OK," he said.

Transitioning from Northern California to the South may take a little getting used to, according to Cockerton.

"It's more humid and the people are a little different, but they're pretty nice," he said.

While the start of the 2013 football season is still a few months off, athletes, especially those under scholarship, stay plenty busy year-round.

"Monday through Thursday I'm in the weight room or conditioning," Cockerton said. "Monday through Wednesday I go to open fields (no coaches allowed). On Fridays I work on my footwork (no ball)."

Moving from a pass-oriented offense such as at Diablo Valley College to a run-oriented offense used by the Lions should work to Cockerton's advantage, according to Dell'Aquilla.

"Pass blocking is more complicated and harder to do," Dell'Aquilla said. "I think he's going to do a great job for them."

So does Owens.

"I firmly believe he will be playing after college," Owens said.

Southeastern Louisiana University hosts Southeast Missouri in its season opener on Aug. 29. The following week the Lions travel to Fort Worth, Texas, to battle Division I TCU.